Things You Might Not Know About John Stamos And Caitlin McHugh’s Relationship

Published on December 20, 2017. Updated February 3, 2020

John Stamos has been one of TV’s biggest stars for decades, but that hasn’t stopped him from being notoriously private about his romantic life. Following his split from Rebecca Romijn in 2004 after six years of marriage, he remained aloof about his personal life, but that has all changed now that he is with Caitlin McHugh. The adorable couple may have a 23 year age gap, but they couldn’t be happier! Here are 10 things you might not know about John Stamos and Caitlin McHugh’s relationship:

10. How They Met

While the two have been very low-key since they began their relationship, John Stamos did reveal that the pair actually met years ago in 2011, but sparks didn’t immediately fly. They met while filming an episode of Law & Order: SVU in which Stamos guest-starred as Ken Turner. “I played a guy who was so egotistical that he thought he should spread his progeny, so he had like 60 kids or something. He was poking holes in condoms and stuff. And Caitlin, ironically, was one of the girls that I was trying to fool and have a baby with,” Stamos recalled. “That was a long time ago. She was in another relationship. And we just met back up again. Her roommate was on an episode of Fuller House, and so she was in the audience. I walked in, I went, ‘Hey, are you stalking me?’ She was like, ‘No.’ … That’s why I love her. She’s like, ‘What? No. I haven’t thought of you twice.’” Although she didn’t think of him twice then, it didn’t take long before a relationship sparked and they fell quickly in love.

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9. Going Public

After a lot of speculation, John Stamos finally confirmed he was seeing someone during an appearance on The View in March 2016. At the time the actor-musician was touring with the Beach Boys and said, “Of all the things I get to do in my life, that is my all-time favorite thing,” he said. “The other night [during a concert], I grabbed my phone ’cause this girl I’m dating … she loves this song, ‘Disney Girls.’ So I put on FaceTime. … I thought I could get away with but people were tweeting, ‘Who are you FaceTiming?!” It didn’t take long for media outlets to confirm the girl was 31-year-old model and actress Caitlin McHugh and in April 2016 the pair were spotted at the TV Land Icon Awards at The Barker Hanger. From then on, they became more public and made more appearances together including at the Saban Community Clinic’s 40th Annual Dinner Gala in November 2016.

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8. Committing

Following his high-profile marriage to Rebecca Romijn, Stamos admits he went through a rough period and knew that a relationship wasn’t going to work out until he “hit reset” to “get back to the person he was.” After he was arrested for DUI in 2015, the Fuller House star checked himself into rehab for 30 days to seek treatment and admitted he knew he had to make changes, and it wasn’t long afterward that he and Caitlin reconnected. “Then I knew the right person would come along, especially, if I prayed and hoped. And I know my parents are up there watching, so I think they delivered an angel to me.”

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7. Full House Family

All couples have to go through the process of taking the step to introduce their significant other to their families, but Caitlin had to meet the approval of Stamos’ on-screen family as well. “Any time somebody new comes in. I remember I told my fiancé, ‘Just so you know, you’ll have to meet my family and then you’ll have to meet my Full House family. And I’m not sure which is going to be tougher!’” Full House and Fuller House star Jodie Sweetin joked. Stamos’ on-screen wife Lori Loughlin joked she had to “get a full bio and a picture,” adding, “And then I approve everyone that he goes out with — and if I say no, he can’t go out with them!” After the two confirmed they were expecting a baby, Loughlin stated, “John has waited a long time for this moment. He just needed the right woman to make his dreams come true and he’s found that in Caitlyn. She’s beautiful inside and out, and the two of them will make wonderful parents. Congrats!”

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6. Working Together

Some couples might prefer to keep their personal and professional lives separate, but Stamos and McHugh already took that leap. The two teamed up to co-write and produce the short film Ingenue-ish. As it turns out, instead of arguing or making things tense by working together, the pair actually had a blast. “It’s actually about being an actor in L.A. — it’s basically kind of a roast of myself, the whole thing,” McHugh told Entertainment Tonight in January. “[Stamos] directed it, I’m in it. We wrote it together and we had a lot of fun doing it.” She added, “They say if you can do a film together, you can do anything together. I’m very happy to say we survived the filming process and we’re in editing now. We’re both still alive, so it’s great!”

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5. Opposites Attract

Stamos and McHugh can’t stop gushing about each other, but they have no problem admitting they are very different — but that is what makes them work! He also explained that one of his favorite qualities about her is that she isn’t in it for the fame or spotlight. “We’re a perfect balance. I’m like hyper and tense and she’s like, ‘It’s cool man. Everything’s fine.’” He added, “She’s so calm and so graceful, which I’m not either of those things. So it’s a great balance. And she’s just a pure, authentic beauty. Like she’s not trying to be something she isn’t. She doesn’t care about money or showbiz.” Meanwhile, McHugh has said that her fiance has “the biggest, most loving and generous heart of anyone I know.”

 

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#MerryChristmas from my real family to yours. XO

A post shared by John Stamos (@johnstamos) on Dec 25, 2018 at 10:30pm PST

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4. The Engagement

In October 2017, the pair confirmed they were engaged and, as it turned out, Stamos planned one of the most adorable and romantic proposals ever. Knowing McHugh’s love for all things Disney, he took her to Disneyland on October 22, 2017. He then put together some of the most romantic moments from animated Pixar and Disney films and ended it with one of the most iconic The Little Mermaid scenes, but instead of Sebastian encouraging him to “just kiss the girl”, the 54-year-old was encouraged to “just ask the girl.” They then went to Disneyland’s 21 Royal to celebrate with family and friends. I pulled the ring out. I don’t know how she did it, but she went to hug me and slipped her finger right in it. When the park closed we ran around the park in our Disney onesies.” He also said,”I’ve been waiting for the perfect girl for over a decade and she walked into my life. I mean everybody knows that I’ve always loved family, and I wanted to have a family some day and get married again, and everyone’s like, ‘Why don’t you just do it!? Why don’t you just do it!?’” Stamos said of why it took him so long to find his way back to marriage. “Everybody thinks it’s so easy. The hard part is me. Like I wasn’t the best me. I was ready, but no one as perfect as Caitlin — a true, pure beautiful person inside — would’ve never gone for the old me, a few years ago,” he explained.

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3. Baby News

After their engagement, fans were eagerly awaiting details about their upcoming nuptials, but the couple had other plans than planning a wedding — having a baby! On December 13, 2017, Stamos revealed they were expecting their first child together, and the actor then spilled that the pregnancy came before the engagement. “The [pregnancy] happened. Then I said, I better have a ring on her finger because it’s the right thing to do, and I wanted to marry her anyway,” Stamos told PEOPLE. “So I called her parents to ask, and it was like, ‘You better!’” He then explained that because of his age, the two decided to go for the family first over the wedding. “[She said] ‘maybe we should have a kid [before we get married]’ and I said, ‘Why?” Stamos recalled, adding that McHugh’s response was, “Because you’re old.” McHugh said telling Stamos she was pregnant was one of the best moments. “The look on John’s face when I told him we were pregnant was priceless,” she said. “It was the look of a man who has wanted a family of his own but wasn’t sure it was going to happen for him. Now it is!” The couple welcomed their son William Christopher Stamos into the world on April 10, 2018 and they nicknamed him Billy!

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2. Keeping It Private

While Stamos may be opening up more and more about his relationship after the engagement and the pregnancy announcement, McHugh says don’t get too used to so much insight into their life. “We like to keep our lives private because we’ve seen what relationships in the public eye can be like, and we just like our privacy,” McHugh told ET in an interview. “We don’t want the commentary from the masses about what our relationship is or should be. We’re very happy together and we hope to be so for a long time.”

 

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#oneweek (and they said it wouldn’t last) #happiestmanonearth #happiestplaceonearth @waltdisneyworld

A post shared by John Stamos (@johnstamos) on Feb 10, 2018 at 3:36pm PST

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1. The Wedding

With a baby on the way, the wedding has not been on the forefront of the couple’s minds, but when it does happen don’t expect it to be a big extravagant affair like some celebrity weddings. With it being the second wedding for both McHugh and Stamos, the two know marriage is valued by both of their families. “We’ve both been married before. I think it will be on the smaller, more romantic side,” Stamos said. “It’s important to her and her family and my family. Anything to be closer to her, I’ll do.”